Find out the facts behind official government statements, the latest on testing rumors, and more. Scroll to the bottom for a timeline of President Trump's response to the epidemic (timeline current through 10/5/20).
COVID-19 has become a major topic in the run-up to the presidential election.
Recent statements by President Trump, Vice President Pence, former Vice President Biden, and Senator Harris can be found on our election fact-check page: Presidential Election
Trump tests positive for COVID-19 (last updated 10/23/20)
"And a false claim about China ... In Trump’s telling, he took bold action to ban many foreign travelers from China to stop the spread of covid-19. He claimed the United States instituted its ban before every other country. “When I did China, it had never been done before,” Trump said. “I was the first one to do it."
Not quite.
The World Health Organization has cautioned against such travel restrictions, saying they are ineffective against a virus and in the long run counterproductive. Trump, according to news reports, was initially skeptical and worried about provoking China after signing a major trade deal. But his national security and public health experts convinced him that the move would buy time to put in place effective prevention and testing measures.
Six countries imposed travel restrictions even before the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency on Jan. 30. Another six announced travel restrictions that same day, followed by 11 countries (besides the United States) announcing restrictions Jan. 31.
But most countries imposed the restrictions immediately. By the time Trump’s restrictions took effect Feb. 2, an additional 15 countries had taken similar actions — and in some cases enacted even tougher bans. But in any case, that adds up to 38 countries taking action before or at the same time the U.S. restrictions were put in place. Among members of the powerful Group of 20, Trump has more of a point -- the United States was third, after Italy and Australia."-- Salvador Rizzo,Washington Post Fact Checker, 4/10/20
"Unwinding the coronavirus testing breakdown When the first U.S. case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed, President Trump assured the American people that the situation was “totally under control.” The president then spent nearly two months issuing confusing and contradictory signals — leaving the bureaucratic machine of the U.S. government to chart the course for the coronavirus response.
On Jan. 31, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a “public health emergency,” which triggered emergency testing protocols, increasing restrictions on which labs could make tests for the novel coronavirus. Any lab would be required to acquire an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA to perform testing for covid-19.
The FDA granted the CDC the first EUA. The overall plan was simple. The CDC would use the science it had developed for the test, do the bulk of the testing, and distribute test kits to qualified state labs. This would safeguard against potential bad results and ensure an accurate count. But some labs had problems with the CDC test. By Feb. 12, the CDC announced that the test was providing inconclusive results.
On Feb. 29, the FDA lifted restrictions on labs, issuing a new set of significantly less restrictive protocols. On March 3, the restrictions on who qualified for a test were dissolved. As of March 28, exactly four weeks after the FDA loosened the rules for testing, the United States still performed only 2,250 tests per million — two-thirds of what South Korea did almost three weeks earlier. (South Korea saw its first case the same day as the U.S.)
These missteps went unmanaged, ignored by leaders at the highest level of government, allowing cases to go undetected and the virus to spread freely."-- Meg Kelly, Washington Post Fact Checker, 4/3/20
"Did Trump offer experts to China? Former vice president took a big swing at President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis during a virtual CNN town hall: “He, in addition to that, when we were talking about early on in this crisis, we said — I said, among others, that, you know, you should get into China, get our experts there, we have the best in the world, get them in so we know what’s actually happening. There was no effort to do that. He didn’t put any pressure on Xi. I guess because of his trade deal, which wasn’t much of a deal."So we wondered: what did President Trump and the Trump administration do to gain access to China, and when did Biden say the United States should get experts into China?
Biden’s language is a bit imprecise, and it could be interpreted that he is speaking about the Trump administration making “no effort.” His campaign says he was talking about Trump, as the sentence before and after referred to Trump.The administration at various levels sought access for CDC experts — and a senior administration official, speaking not for attribution, told the Fact Checker an offer to send staff was made at the presidential level. Whether Trump didn’t “put pressure” on Xi behind the scenes remains unclear, though Trump’s public comments and tweets do not indicate much pressure. Put simply, Biden could make a case that Trump’s efforts to gain access for medical experts to China lacked vigor or were ineffectual; he cannot say there was no effort from the administration.
As for being foresighted enough to make this case early on, Biden did not explicitly call for it until near the end of February, so that appears exaggerated. With more precision in his language, Biden would have a better case. We awarded Biden Three Pinocchios." -- Meg Kelly, Washington Post Fact Checker, 4/3/20
"The covid-19 death figures you're seeing are incomplete It’s become a grim routine to track the death toll of the novel coronavirus. The United States crossed 1,000 reported deaths on Wednesday — a tenfold increase from the 100 or so just nine days earlier.
President Trump often notes that covid-19 deaths are far below those for the swine flu (17,000, he says) or seasonal influenza (averaging 37,000 a year). But he’s comparing apples and oranges.
The daily tracking number for covid-19 is substantially below the real figure of deaths that can be attributed to the new coronavirus. It represents only the bare minimum — confirmed deaths reported by hospitals, medical providers and state health authorities as caused by covid-19. The actual number is substantially higher, but that will only become apparent after statistical modeling on excess mortality during this period.
What do we mean? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that from April 12, 2009, to April 10, 2010, there were 12,469 deaths in the United States because of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. That was the midpoint of an estimate that ranged from a low of 8,868 to a high of 18,306. But that was an after-the-fact report. These swine flu numbers were not being produced and updated in real time. It took hindsight and further research.
There already is anecdotal evidence that many deaths that stem from covid-19 are not being recorded as such. Doctors and nurses have told BuzzFeed News that deaths are not being correctly reported, in part because overwhelmed hospitals and a shortage of tests meant people died before it was determined whether they had contracted the virus.Something to keep in mind as you hear about the daily totals."-- Salvador Rizzo,Washington Post Fact Checker, 3/27/20
"Did Trump close the White House office for global pandemics? Several readers wrote in to say they were confused by dueling opinion articles that appeared recently in The Washington Post. First, The Post published an op-ed by Beth Cameron, a former Obama administration official: “I ran the White House pandemic office. Trump closed it.” She argued that “eliminating the office,” which she headed from September 2016 to March 2017, “has contributed to the federal government’s sluggish domestic response” to the coronavirus pandemic.
Three days later, The Post published an op-ed by Tim Morrison, a former Trump administration official: “No, the White House didn’t ‘dissolve’ its pandemic response office. I was there.” He countered that the global-pandemics unit, which he oversaw for about a year starting in July 2018, was folded into another office in order to streamline the White House National Security Council (NSC).
Here’s what we found: President Barack Obama in 2016 established the NSC’s Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense. A directorate has its own staff and is headed by someone who generally reports to the national security adviser.After John Bolton became President Trump’s third national security adviser, he decided the NSC organizational chart was messy and the staff bloated, having grown to more than 400 people. Bolton eliminated a number of deputy national security advisers so there was just one. And he folded the global health directorate into a new one, focused on counterproliferation and biodefense. As far as we could determine, no NSC staff positions from the Obama-era pandemics office were eliminated in Bolton’s reshuffling. One lingering question — which may be answered if and when Congress investigates the U.S. response to the outbreak — is whether a separate directorate would have had more clout to bring the issue immediately to the president’s attention. That might have helped buy time to stem the spread of the disease by focusing the full attention of government on the emerging problem. But with Trump’s erratic governing style, it’s not clear whether this would have made a difference."-- Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post Fact Checker, 3/20/20
"The virus doesn’t respect walls It’s the latest justification for a wall along the southern border.
Trump claimed twice that a barrier would help mitigate the coronavirus from spreading in the United States, first at a campaign rally and then in a tweet quoting a right-wing activist, who wrote: “Now, more than ever, we need the wall. With China Virus spreading across the globe, the US stands a chance if we can control of our borders.”
But none of the coronavirus cases reported in the United States have been linked to people who entered through the U.S.-Mexico border. According to U.S. officials and experts, travelers who arrived on airplanes and cruise ships contracted the virus overseas. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced a ban on foreign travelers from most of Europe for 30 days, following previous restrictions on travel from China and Iran.
Hours after Trump’s tweet, Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) asked at a House hearing whether “structural barriers at our border would be of any use in mitigating the outbreak of this virus.”
“Not that I’ve seen,” CDC Director Robert Redfield responded.
As of Wednesday, the United States had recorded more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus; Canada had nearly 100 and Mexico eight. Public-health experts say Trump’s claim is off is because the coronavirushas already entered the United States — meaning containment measures are needed inside the country now. We gave Four Pinocchios to Trump."-- Salvador Rizzo,Washington Post Fact Checker, 3/13/20
"April won’t end the coronavirus, and other Trump myths After days of mixed and misleading messages, President Trump attempted to reassure Americans in a lengthy news conference on Wednesday. It was littered with falsehoods. Here’s a sampling:
“We’re rapidly developing a vaccine and they can speak to you. … The vaccine is coming along well. And in speaking to the doctors, we think this is something that we can develop fairly rapidly, a vaccine for the future, and coordinate with the support of our partners.”
Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters any vaccine would not be “applicable to the epidemic unless we really wait about a year to a year-and-a-half.”
“The flu in our country kills from 25,000 people to 69,000 people a year. That was shocking to me. And so far, if you look at what we have with the 15 people and their recovery. One is — one is pretty sick but hopefully will recover.”
The precise number of deaths annually from the seasonal flu isn’t known, but estimates range from 12,000 to 61,000. In addition, tens of millions of people come down with the flu each year and the fatality rate is 0.1 percent in the United States. The coronavirus appears to have a fatality rate that could possibly be 20 times higher. (Estimates are less than 3 percent.)
“I don’t think it’s inevitable [that coronavirus will come to the United States]. It probably will. It possibly will. It could be at a very small level or it could be at a larger level. Whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.”Trump contradicted Nancy Messonnier, the director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who a day earlier had said: “Ultimately, we will see community spread in this country. It’s not a question of if but rather a question of when and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”
“With Ebola, we were talking about it before, you disintegrated. If you got Ebola, that was it. [Coronavirus] is like a flu, and this is a much different situation than Ebola.”People with the Ebola virus did not disintegrate. The case fatality rate (or the percentage of known infected people who die) for the virus varies dramatically — from 25 percent to 90 percent — depending on the outbreak. In general, it averages around 50 percent. Coronavirus is more deadly than the seasonal flu, although it’s hard to know the case fatality rate of the coronavirus yet (estimates put it below 3 percent)."-- Meg Kelly, Washington Post Fact Checker, 2/28/20
Timeline: How Donald Trump responded to the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/mar/20/how-donald-trump-responded-coronavirus-pandemic/(site last updated 10/5/20) Phase one: The disease emerges Dec. 31: China confirms existence of a new virus. Jan. 20: World Health Organization reports cases in China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. Jan. 21: The first U.S. case is announced in Washington state (as well as Vietnam and Singapore). WHO says the virus risk globally is high. Jan. 22: A reporter asks if there are worries about a pandemic. Trump responds: "No. Not at all. And we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s — going to be just fine." Jan. 24: Trump tweets, "It will all work out well." Jan 29: The White House forms a coronavirus response task force, initially led by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Jan. 30: The WHO declares a global health emergency.
Phase Two: Keeping it out of the United States Jan. 30: Trump blocks travel from China. The same night, he holds a campaign rally in Iowa. "We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. ... we think it’s going to have a very good ending for it." Feb. 2: Trump tells Fox News host Sean Hannity, "We pretty much shut it down coming in from China." Feb. 4: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan. Over 2,600 guests and over 1,000 crew. Within two days, over 40 people test positive for COVID-19, including eight Americans. Feb. 11: WHO names the new virus COVID-19. Feb 14: Trump discusses the "very small" number of U.S. coronavirus cases with Border Patrol Council members: "We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape." Feb. 20: WHO reports nearly 77,000 cases worldwide in 27 countries. Feb. 24: Stock market plummets as Dow Jones Industrials falls more than 1,000 points. The same day, Trump asks for $1.25 billion in emergency aid. It grows to $8.3 billion in Congress. He tweets that the virus "is very much under control" and the stock market is "starting to look very good to me!" Feb. 26: The first case emerges in California with no clear source, suggesting community spread of the virus. In a news conference that day, Trump says the United States is "really prepared." He puts Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the White House task force. Feb. 28: Cases rise across Europe, including in Italy, Germany, France, England, Switzerland and Belarus.
Phase Three: Containing the spread Feb. 29: FDA eases guidelines to speed the broader use of testing. March 4: House passes $8.3 billion emergency bill, aimed mainly at the immediate health response to the virus. In a Fox News interview, Trump deflects criticism to his response by saying the Obama administration (including the vice president, Joe Biden) “didn’t do anything about” swine flu. We rated the claimFalse. Trump continues to blame the Obama administration in an exchange with reporters at the White House. “The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing.” Our fact-check shows the process dated back to 2006, before Obama took office. So the claim is False. March 6:Grand Princess cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers waits to dock off the California coast. Asked about the docking of the Grand Princess, Trump says the following: “I would rather (Grand Princess passengers stay aboard) because I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship.” Trump went on to say that he thought it was more important for passengers to debark than to keep the numbers down. In a news conference, Trump downplays the concerns around testing: “Anybody that wants a test can get a test.” With tests in short supply, we rated the claim Pants on Fire. The same day, Trump tweets out blame to the media and the Democrats for trying to “inflame” the situation “far beyond what the facts would warrant.” March 11: On the same day the WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic, Trump uses a prime-time Oval Office address to announce a ban on travel for non-Americans from most of Europe. He misstates a freeze on cargo and falsely said the health insurance industry has “agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments.” In reality, getting tested would be free, but treatment would not be covered. March 13: Trump declares a national emergency to access $50 billion for states and territories, and clear the way for fast-track waivers for hospitals and doctors as they respond to the virus. March 14: The House passes a worker and business relief bill with paid leave guarantees for certain workers, expanded food assistance and unemployment insurance benefits, and employer tax credits. Trump signs it four days later. March 17: Trump said in a news conference that for the next 14 days, “we’re asking everyone to work at home, if possible, postpone unnecessary travel, and limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people.” Trump says there was no shift in tone from the White House. “I’ve always known this is a real, this is a pandemic. I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” As this timeline shows, Trump minimized the threat of a pandemic for many weeks. Pants on Fire! Asked if the World Health Organization had offered detection tests to the United States, Trump said WHO had not, and that the WHO coronavirus test “was a bad test.” False. WHO said three independent labs had validated the test, and the White House coordinator for coronavirus response said she assumed the WHO test is effective. March 19: The U.S. Senate unveils a$1 trillion-plus economic stimulus package. California orders lockdown for 40 million residents. March 20:New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all non-essential businesses to keep their workers home. March 24: Having tweeted on the economic shutdown that "we cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself," Trump says in a Fox News town hallhe would "love to have the country opened up, and just raring to go by Easter." Trump responds to a request from Cuomo for ventilators, reading from papers in his hand: "(He) rejected buying recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for the pandemic, for a pandemic, established death panels and lotteries instead. So, he had a chance to buy, in 2015, 16,000 ventilators at a very low price, and he turned it down." False. A state study said that many might be needed in a crisis, but it also said there were immediate pressing health needs, and there was no money to buy that many ventilators. That evening, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells Fox Newsthat Trump is flexible on economic restrictions: "The president clearly listens. I mean, he has this aspirational goal of hoping that we might be able to do it by a certain date. We talked with him about that. We say we need to be flexible. He realizes that and he accepts that." March 27: Trump signs $2.2 trillion emergency spending bill. The act provides $1,200 per individual and $500 per child for households making up to $150,000 a year. Small businesses are eligible for loans — that can be forgiven — from a $377 billion fund. There’s a $454 billion fund for companies and state and local governments, and $180 billion for the health care sector. The details for families and small businesses are here. Details for corporations, states and health care, here. Phase Four: Shifting expectations March 29: Trump reverses course on relaxing strict stay-at-home guidance by Easter and extends the period to the end of April. "The peak, the highest point of death rates — remember this — is likely to hit in two weeks," he said. "Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won. That would be the greatest loss of all." In the press conference, he argues with "PBS NewsHour" reporter Yamiche Alcindor over what the president had said, or hadn’t said, about New York’s need for ventilators. Trump falsely deniedsaying that governors were requesting equipment they didn’t need. March 30: Cases top 163,000. The number of tests crosses the 1 million mark, still behind where the country needs to be. Trump tells Fox News:"We inherited a broken test" for COVID-19. Trump’s impossible claim is Pants on Fire. There could be no test before the new virus emerged. China first confirmed its existence Dec. 31, 2019, and shared its genetic sequence Jan. 7. The CDC’s first shipment of tests to states contained tainted reagents. That and bureaucratic delays cost the U.S. several critical weeks in testing. March 31: Trump asks Americans to be prepared for the "hard days that lie ahead." "This is going to be a very painful — very, very painful two weeks," he said. "When you look and see at night the kind of death that's been caused by this invisible enemy, it's — it's incredible." The coronavirus death toll reaches about 3,700. April 1: Trump talks about keeping the transportation system running. "They’re doing tests on airlines — very strong tests — for getting on, getting off. They’re doing tests on trains — getting on, getting off." This confuses screening — which is happening at only 13 airports and not at any train station — with testing. Screening involves a temperature check or a questionnaire, and takes place only for people traveling from certain countries. This claim is Pants on Fire. April 4:Trump urges use of the drug hydroxychloroquine to fight the virus. "I hope they use it, because I'll tell you what: What do you have to lose?" Hospitals are using the drug, but the benefits remain unclear, and the risk of heart damage is well documented. (Doctors in Brazil halted a trial when patients developed irregular heart beats.) Of the two limited tests that suggested it worked, one was later discredited by the scientific society that published it, and efforts to replicate their results failed. See our research round-up here. April 11: The total number of workers signing up to get unemployment insurance checks reaches nearly 12 million, the highest number (seasonally adjusted) since the government began tracking. The same day, the United States passes Italy for the most confirmed COVID-19 deaths — over 20,000. April 13: Eager to restart the economy, Trump says as president he has "total" authority to decide when states lift quarantine rules and other restrictions. Pants on Fire. Trump overlooked the principle of federalism which reserves certain powers to the states. Legal experts said no part of the Constitution gives the president unlimited power. Trump also unveiled a White House video summaryof progress against the virus. The video used quotes out of context, excluded Trump’s comments during the time when he downplayed the crisis, and ended up highlighting the lack of action during the critical month of February. April 14: Fourth economic rescue bill stalls. Republicans seek additional $250 billion for small businesses. Democrats agree, but also want another $250 billion for hospitals and state and local governments. On April 16, the SBA says it has committed all of the nearly $350 billion small business aid program called the Paycheck Protection Program. April 16: Trump releases guidelinesto restart the economy. "To preserve the health of our citizens, we must also preserve the health and functioning of our economy," Trump said. He left the decision of whether to relax restrictions in the hands of each state. The guidelines said states should first make sure that the number of cases was headed down. "If they need to remain closed, we will allow them to do that," he said. "And if they believe it is time to reopen, we will provide them the freedom and guidance to accomplish that task." Trump said that while Washington will help with the wide-scale testing required, testing is in the hands of each state. Public health researchers and state officials issued a report saying to be successful, the testing and contact tracingrequires "a new national initiative that combines a massive expansion of rapid diagnostic tests in every community with an unprecedented growth in a public health workforce." April 17: Total numberof U.S. cases tops 672,000, with nearly 34,000 deaths. "Supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way … It sounds interesting." April 24: At the regular White House coronavirus briefing, Trump suggests getting disinfectant and light inside the body are interesting possibilities. Experts told us that not only are both approaches ineffective, they can be dangerous. "You should absolutely open the schools. Our country has got to get back, and it’s got to get back as soon as possible. And I don’t consider our country coming back if the schools are closed." April 29: The Trump administration organized Operation Warp Speed, which aimed to have substantial quantities of a vaccine by January 2021 as well as to develop therapeutics. May 13: During a meeting with the governors of Colorado and North Dakota, Trump links reopening the economy with reopening schools. May 29: Trump announces he is terminating relationswith the World Health Organization, saying China "pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities." In ourfact-check of Trump’s claims against WHO and China, we found he ignored actions WHO took to alert the global public health community, and assumed, without evidence, that WHO knew that China was censoring reports of the spread of the disease. "We’re opening, and we’re opening with a bang. And we’ve been talking about the V. This is better than a V; this is a rocket ship." June 8: Trump celebrates the recovery of 4.8 million jobs, comparing the coronavirus with a hurricane. "The hurricane goes away, and within two hours, everyone is rebuilding and fixing and cleaning and cutting their grass," Trump said. COVID-19 cases are "up only because of our big number testing." June 23: As both testing and new cases rise, Trump argued that the first caused the second. But if that were true, the share of tests coming back positive would hold steady or fall. In 12 days, between June 10 and June 22, the positivity rate rose by about 25%. We rated Trump’s claim False. "We have tested over 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless." July 4: In his Fourth of July speech in Washington, Trump minimizes the threat of the virus. At the time Trump spoke, based on the number of test-confirmed cases, overall 4.5% of victims had died since the pandemic struck. Daily hospitalizations were at 4% of cases. We rated this False. "We have one of the lowest mortality rates in the world." July 19: Trump said the United States compared quite favorably with other countries in preventing deaths from the virus. No fewer than 15 advanced, industrialized nations currently have a lower mortality rate, as do a host of other countries, including Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, Turkey, Argentina and India. We rated this False. "It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better." July 21: As cases and deaths surge in states across the South, as well as in Texas, Arizona and California, Trump returned to brief the presson the coronavirus. In a marked shift in tone, he warned that harder times were on the way. Before, Trump had downplayed the need to wear masks. That message changed. "We’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask," Trump said. "Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They’ll have an effect. And we need everything we can get." Aug. 5:Trump downplayed the chances that children would catch COVID-19 and urged schools to reopen. "Children are "almost immune from this disease." It’s wrong to say children are "almost immune" to the virus. Before he spoke, there were cases spread at an overnight camp in the U.S. and at some schools overseas, including in Israel. We rated this statement False. Aug. 6: Trump says on Geraldo Rivera’s radio show that a vaccine could be available before the end of the year — or "right around" the Nov. 3 election. Trump has repeatedly presented a more rosy picture of the vaccine development timeline than some other government officials. Even if the vaccine is ready before 2021, it’s likely that it won’t be widely available and will be distributedto certain essential workers or populations first. Aug. 17: Trump holds a campaign rally in Oshkosh, Wis., an important battleground state that he won in 2016, and dismisses the fact that the U.S. has more cases and deaths than any other country: "We're coming back and our numbers are better than almost all countries." The White House pointed to one number to back that up — the number of deaths relative to the number of known cases. But by other yardsticks, the United States was doing worse than many countries, including a higher death rate in relation to its population, and the test positivity rate. We rated this sweeping claim False. Sept. 1: As the U.S. reaches the 6 million mark for confirmed cases, Trump boosts a conspiracy theory about the CDC’s coronavirus death toll, first on Twitter and then on Fox News on Laura Ingraham’s show. "Only 6% of the people actually died from COVID." Pants on Fire! Trump misconstrued data on coronavirus deaths. A National Center for Health Statistics report found that, for about 6% of Americans who die from the virus, COVID-19 is the only condition listed on their death certificates. But that doesn’t mean the remaining 94% didn’t die due to the coronavirus. Officials said COVID-19 is the underlying cause of death for most victims. Sept. 7: Speaking at the White House on Labor Day, Trump hinted again that he thought we may have a vaccine by Election Day: "So we’re going to have a vaccine very soon, maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I’m talking about." Two days later at a Senate panel hearing, federal health officials expressed caution about that timeline. Sept. 9: Investigative reporter Bob Woodward’s new book about Trump entitled "Rage" is released early to some media outlets. The Washington Postposts audio from Woodward’s March 19 interview with Trump in which the presdient said of his early COVID-19 response: "To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic." Sept 12: At a rally in Minden, Nev., Trump said Biden is "in his damn basement again" — a frequent attack line. But the claim is False. Biden held multiple events in various statesin September. Sept. 13: About 5,600 supporters gathered to hear Trump speak at Xtreme Manufacturing, a warehouse, in Henderson, Nev., despite a state rule prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people. Many people in the crowd were not wearing masks. Trump again talks up the timeline for a vaccine and promises "we will very easily defeat the China virus. That’s what’s happening." Sept. 15: Trump takes questions in a town hall with voters on ABC News, repeating many false and misleading claims. Sept. 17, 18, 19: Trump continues to hold in-person rallies, including in Mosinee, Wis., Bemidji, Minn., and Fayetteville, N.C. Sept. 22: The U.S. surpasses 200,000 COVID-19 deaths. Sept. 24: At a Jacksonville, Fla., rally, Trump speaks optimistically about a future return to normal life. "We’re rounding the third. We’re rounding the turn. Under my leadership, prosperity will surge. Normal life, oh, I love normal life. We want to get back to normal life. We’ll fully resume. The Florida tourism and hospitality industries will reach record highs." Sept. 26: Trump nominates Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill an opening on the U.S. Supreme Court. The ceremony is held in the Rose Garden, with few masks and no social distancing between seats in the crowd. That night, at a rally in Middletown, Pa., Trump praised his administration’s response: "And to fight the China virus, we launched the largest national mobilization since World War II. You know they said, ‘How did you do?’ I say we get an A plus, but I get a D in public relations because we were so busy working and you know when you give it to the fake news, they reported incorrectly." Sept. 29: Trump and Biden faced off in Cleveland for the first debate, moderated by Chris Wallace. Trump repeats false or misleading claims about his rallies and Dr. Anthony Fauci’s early comments on the general public wearing masks. Some of the guests or officials in attendance at Barrett’s ceremony later test positive for the coronavirus. Phase Four: A presidential positive test and hospitalization Oct. 1: One of Trump's closest aides, Hope Hicks, tests positive for the coronavirus. Trump confirms her results to Sean Hannity of Fox News and says he and wife Melania were tested for the virus due to their close proximity to Hicks. Trump talks about how hard it is for Hicks and others to keep their distance from law enforcement and members of the military "who want to hug you and they want to kiss you because we really have done a good job for them." "You can’t just say, 'Stay away, stay away,'" Trump said. Oct. 2: Hours later, Trump sends an historic tweet: He and Melania tested positive. The tweet is posted at 12:54 a.m. ET. "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" The quarantine halts Trump's usual campaign rallies, including a planned stop in the battleground of Florida. Melania Trump tweets that they are "feeling good," but no further information is released about their symptoms and condition. That night, Trump is moved by helicopter to Walter Reed Medical Center. In an 18-second Twitter video posted that night, Trump said, "I think I am doing very well but we are going to make sure that things work out." Oct. 3: Trump tweets another video update from Walter Reed: "I think I will be back soon. I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started …. We are going to beat this coronavirus or whatever you want to call it. …. I’m starting to feel good." Oct. 4: Trump takes a short car ride with the Secret Service so he can wave to supporters outside Walter Reed. "It’s been a very interesting journey," Trump saidfrom Walter Reed. "I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn’t the ‘let’s read the book’ school. And I get it. And I understand it. And it’s a very interesting thing. And I’m going to be letting you know about it." Oct. 5: White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany announces that she tested positive, the latest in Trump’s circle of advisers and contacts to test positive. Trump announces in a tweethe will leave the hospital that night, and he does. "Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"